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Rackspace Loads Covered Wagon With Servers, Heads For Oregon

This coal-fired power plant is one of three power plants in Boardman, Oregon. The other two are natural-gas fired. Photo:

Ted
Timmons

After months of speculation over where it would build its next generation data center, cloud giant Rackspace has apparently settled on a patch of land near Boardman, Oregon.

As reported by Data Center Knowledge, the company hasn't confirmed plans for a data center, but it's expected to work with a third-party data center developer such Digital Realty or DuPont Fabros Technology in building a facility on the site.

According to Oregon Live, Adobe Systems, Fortune Data Centers, and Digital Realty Trust are planning data centers in Hillsboro, a suburb of Portland, and "three other unnamed companies" are planning data centers in central Oregon.

Why Oregon? Last year, an Amazon spokesperson told Oregon Live that it picked the Boardman area for its proximity to West Coast customers, high-speed internet access, and cost-effective infrastructure. Plus there's the relatively cheap energy costs, the cool climate, and the "enterprise zones" that allow companies to avoid paying property taxes on expensive equipment.

But that cheap energy may come at a steep environmental cost. Environmental organizations have been criticizing data-center energy usage since Google setup shop in the state. In response to concerns from Greenpeace, Apple has pledged to build a data center powered only by renewable energy, and Facebook is working with Greenpeace to reduce its carbon emissions, though it knows things are going to get worse instead of better.

According to Oregon Live, the data centers aren't expected to bring a huge boost in jobs, but taken together could be a good source of revenue for the communities they move into.